While backstage at the Ivor Novello Awards in London on Thursday, Lana Del Rey detailed which of her songs was written — and rejected — for a James Bond film.
“I mean, how has that not happened yet?” Del Rey replied when asked by BBC if she would consider writing a theme song for the franchise. The Born to Die singer then sang the chorus to her track “24” — which was one of the 14 songs that appeared on her 2015 album, Honeymoon — before adding, “I wrote that for them.”
Noting the song’s release date, it was most likely in the running for 2015’s Spectre, the 007 film starring Daniel Craig. Sam Smith ended up landing the theme song, recording “Writing’s on the Wall” for the movie’s opening credits. Co-written by Smith and his “Stay With Me” collaborator Jimmy Napes, the song won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and Academy Award for Best Original Song (Adele won for her 007 theme “Skyfall” in 2012).
“This is one of the highlights of my career. I am honoured to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible lineup of some of my biggest musical inspirations,” Smith tweeted at time.
When speaking to BBC, Del Rey teased, “Sam, you did a wonderful job.”
Contemplating a chance to pen a future Bond track, Del Rey said, “One day, maybe … But I’m going to continue to do my little Nancy Sinatra thing every now and then and just pretend it’s the title track.”
Del Rey released her most recent album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, last year, and she has teased her upcoming LP, Lasso, a country record that’s expected to arrive in September. On the heels of her headlining sets at Coachella last month, Del Rey is set to play her first stadium show this summer. The one-night-only gig will take place June 20 at Fenway Park.
